The fine print
Privacy & cookies
The short version: this is a static guide with no accounts and no ads. We use Google Analytics only if you say yes — and you can change your mind any time.
Who runs this site
Madeira Levadas (madeiralevadas.com) is an independent, field-checked guide to the levadas of Madeira. It is a static website: there are no user accounts, no logins, no comment forms, and nothing you do here is stored against your identity.
What data we collect
If — and only if — you accept in the cookie banner, we load Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager) to understand which pages and walks people find useful. Google Analytics then sets cookies and processes limited, aggregated information such as the pages you view, approximate region (derived from a truncated IP address, not stored by us), device type and referring site. We use this only in aggregate to improve the guide. We never sell it, and we run no advertising.
If you decline, or simply ignore the banner, no analytics cookies are set and no
data is sent to Google. We use Consent Mode v2, which denies all analytics and
advertising storage by default until you opt in. A single small entry in your browser’s
localStorage (ml-consent) remembers your choice so we don’t ask
again; it contains only the word “granted” or “denied” and is not personal data.
Cookies we use
- Strictly necessary: none that require consent. Your consent choice is
kept in
localStorage, not a cookie. - Analytics (only after you accept): Google Analytics cookies
(
_gaand related), typically expiring within ~2 years, used to distinguish visitors and sessions in aggregate.
Changing your mind
You can withdraw or grant consent at any time:
You can also clear site data in your browser to reset the choice entirely, or use your browser’s “Do Not Track” / tracking-protection settings, which we respect via the consent-denied default.
Third parties
The only third-party service that can run on this site is Google (Analytics / Tag Manager), and only with your consent. Google acts as a data processor; its handling is governed by Google’s privacy policy. Outbound links to booking portals, trail-status maps, weather services and our cited sources take you to independent third-party sites with their own policies. Fonts are self-hosted, so no font CDN sees your visit.
Your rights
Under the EU/UK GDPR you have the right to access, rectify, erase, restrict or object to the processing of your personal data, and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (in Portugal, the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados, CNPD). Because this site stores no personal data of its own, most requests are satisfied simply by declining consent or clearing your browser data. To exercise these rights with respect to the analytics processor, see Google’s privacy tools linked above.
Changes
This notice was last updated in June 2026. We’ll revise it if our analytics or data practices change.